Songfacts®:

• The beach in question is in Formentera, an island off the coast of Spain. "That's where me and my wife became me and my wife," Rea said in a Songfacts interview. "Yeah, I was 'between the eyes of love.' It's a lovely island."
  
  Rea and his wife, Joan, have been a couple since 1968.
• This single was in hot rotation on VH1 in 1986 (one year after the network launched), which helped it get attention in the United States, where Rea is known mostly for his debut single, "Fool If You Think It's Over." It remains a favorite song among his fans. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Mike - Santa Barbara, CA
• The song originally peaked at #57 in Rea's native UK in 1986. Two years later a re-released version titled "On the Beach (Summer '88)" did rather better reaching #12.
• The German Electronica music duo York enjoyed some success on the dance floor in 2000 with a tune also titled "On The Beach," which heavily sampled this song. Italian DJ Mauro Picotto's "CRW edit" helped propel their trance single to #4 on the UK chart.